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India: Last Stop - Delhi

Our last day in India was spent in Delhi. We flew in from Jaipur in the morning after all the wedding festivities (we were tired!). We had a driver take us around the city to the President's house, India Gate, the Lotus Temple, McDonalds, Humayan's Tomb, and then the movies to see the Bollywood film Desi Boyz! Then we finally went to the airport to catch our 4am flight. My trip to India was amazing and I can't wait to go back again soon!!!

The house of India's President

The view through the gate

Government buildings lining the street up from the President's house

India Gate

A guard watching the flame in front of India Gate

India Gate commemorates all the Indian soldiers that have lost their lives 

The names are inscribed on the walls

The inscription on top

Shama and I tried McDonald's for the first time in India. It was so yummy!!! I wish they had some of the menu items here!

The Bahai Lotus Temple

Humayan's Tomb

School kids on a trip to the tomb

The tomb

India: Sheetal and Ashul's Wedding!!!

Sheetal and Anshul's wedding is the reason why I went to India. It was a great three-day celebration and was so happy I was able to attend the festivities in Jaipur. Sheetal and Ashul, hope your first few months of married life have been wonderful!!!

Dinner with Sheetal's family at a restaurant at Amber Fort

Sheetal's cousins, Mishal and Anand, at the mehendi party

The party was pool side

Beautiful decor

Shama getting henna put on her hands

Check it out!

Sheetal!!! She was beaming!

Anshul checking out Sheetal's mom's henna

At the end of the event, the beautiful sunset behind the mountains

All decked out at the Sangeet with Shama, Mishal, Samir and Mishal

Sheetal's outfit was amazing!

The wedding site, before everyone arrived

Sheetal and her sister, Sapna, waiting for Anshul to arrive

Sheetal's mehendi

Sheetal's a bride!!!

BEAUTIFUL!

The two of us!

Anshul waiting for Sheetal

Listening intently to the priest

In the mandup

The guests

Moyna's son - Jude was so cute!

Jude made a new friend 

He found a garland and put it on, it was longer than him!

The view from the back

Shama and I at the reception

Dancing with the newlyweds!

India: The Pink City - Jaipur!

Next we headed to Jaipur. This was where Sheetal and Anshul were married. Before the wedding we squeezed in some sight seeing! We went to Amber Fort, Water Palace, City Palace, and Jantar Mantar. There is so much history in this city. Definitely check out the Wikipedia links to learn more about each of these places.

Our elephant ride at Amber Fort. I was holding on for dear life!!!

The walls surrounding the Amber Fort Palace and town, it went around 360 degrees

Here you can see how expansive the wall is

A close up of one of the watch towers

Some workers at Amber Fort taking a break to chat. They are dressed in bright Rajasthani colors

The Palace

Beautiful pillars

Intricate walls

Beautiful glasswork. Each Maharaja (king) added new additions to the palace through the years

An enclosed garden in the palace because the Maharani (queen) and concubines were not allowed outside palace walls

Another women working at the Fort

Heavy items are transported on the head

More rooms at the palace. It was ginormous! 

A view of the palace from the road

Here is another palace, the Water Palace. It was where the royal family stayed in the summer because the water would keep the family cool from the summer heat.

Shama learning how block prints are created. Block printed fabrics are a specialty in Jaipur

Layers are added in block printing

A women making a hand woven rug. It can take months to make one.

Up close, such intricate work!

Jantar Mantar is a collection of architectural astronomical structures built in the early 1700s. 

This cracked me up, there are two workers holding up another who is doing repairs to one of the Jantar Mantar  monuments 

He was pretty high up!!!

One of the astronomical forms looked like eyeglasses :)

Markings to show the date and time based on the sun's shadows

City Palace

Snake charmer

I love this picture of four women trying to cross through heavy traffic